Earlier to Rise
by dragonflygirl10
Summary: sorry folks this story has been discontinued.
1. The dream

Author: dragonflygirl10  
  
Disclaimer: not my characters. yadda yadda. I'm not making money. yadda yadda. don't sue me.  
  
Time: beginning of This Year's Girl  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"They smell good, don't they?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Clean sheets. Like summer." Buffy clarified.  
  
"I wouldn't know." Faith answered from the other side of the bed  
  
The blond felt a small pang of guilt. It was, after all, her who put Faith in the coma that took her away from summer. "Right, I forgot."  
  
Faith grinned just a little. "I noticed." Faith often wished that these dreams could be real life, it was nice to know that Buffy sometimes forgot that they weren't.  
  
"I wish I could stay, but."  
  
The grin left Faith's lips. "No, you have to go." She said, trying to hide her disappointment.  
  
Buffy noticed anyway. "It's just with-" she began, but Faith cut her off.  
  
"Little sis coming. I know." Faith took a deep breath and continued. "So much to do before she gets here."  
  
"Now I really have to-"  
  
"So go." Faith said quickly, trying not to feel hurt.  
  
With that Buffy left the dream and returned to her body. As she looked back on the dream she let out a loud sigh. She liked the dreams; they let her be with Faith without any of the grudges she carried through life everyday or the grudges she was sure Faith held for her. She wished she could just forgive her. and be forgiven. She wished they could be the way they used to be. She wished.  
  
Buffy's thoughts were cut off when the phone rang. She quickly reached over and grabbed it, hoping it was some she could talk to. "Hello?"  
  
"Hi, Buffy!" said the woman on the other side.  
  
"Hey Mom." She responded, recognizing the voice. "What's up with the early call?"  
  
"It's nine o-clock, honey. I figured you'd be up. I didn't wake you, did I?"  
  
"No, Mom, you didn't wake me. I was awake." She said honestly. "But still, why the call?"  
  
"Your sister wanted to talk to you."  
  
Sister? Buffy thought before getting hit with a deluge of memories.  
  
"She's been bugging me to call you for an hour now, but I said we should wait, but you know how she can be when she wants something."  
  
"Yeah, I know." She replied, wondering about her confusion only a few seconds before. "Put her on."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Don't let me keep..." Faith continued not realizing the other girl had left. She stopped when she felt a sudden yet all too familiar pain in her gut. Several drops of blood fell on the clean white sheets she had been smoothing out. "Damn, just when we had it so nice." She said with both tired sarcasm and renewed sadness. She turned to the girl next to her witch was no longer her sister slayer. "Are you ever gonna take this thing out?" she asked the nightmare next to her, referring to the blade it ad driven into her.  
  
The thing held the look on it's face that Buffy had given Faith just before the she had stabbed her. It was a look of pure, cold hatred. That look had hurt Faith more than the knife ever could have. Ever though the blond's face had only held the look for a moment, it was enough. In that one moment, Buffy had wanted her dead. Now the monster next to her carried that look at all times.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
So? What do people think? I am going to have fun with this story whether you review or not, But how do you guys like the idea of having Dawn show up now? 


	2. Thinking of you

Author: dragonflygirl10 (Dragonfly, me!)  
  
Disclaimer: I own no characters, Joss owns them all.  
  
Wow! I really was not expecting such an immediate reaction. As of such I'm uploading the second chapter earlier than I had originally planned. Don't expect Chapter three to come out as fast, all the chapters from here on out will take a little more planning than this one did.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Dawn grabbed the Phone from her mother. "HI BUFFY!" she yelled into the receiver.  
  
"Hi Dawn." Said Buffy, wincing at Dawn's excessive volume, "What's up?"  
  
"I want to ask you something."  
  
"Ask away."  
  
Buffy heard her little sister take a deep breath before beginning. "There's this guy at school. . ."  
  
"Dawn," Buffy interrupted in a surprised yet teasing voice, "are you asking me for dating advice?"  
  
She heard Dawn make a very distinctive 'yeah right' kind of noise on the other end. "Like I would ask you if I wanted dating advice! You dated a vampire that went all evil and tried to kill all your friends!" The younger girl retorted.  
  
"HEY!" Buffy snapped, feeling rather offended, "Would you ask Mom? She dated a psycho robot!"  
  
"So not the point." Dawn responded in annoyance.  
  
"So if you didn't want dating advice then why the guy from school?" Buffy inquired.  
  
"Well, he's been picking on me. . . I was kinda wondering if you could beat the crap out of him."  
  
"DAWN!" Buffy and her mother both yelled at the same time.  
  
"WHAT?"  
  
Buffy took a deep breath before answering. "No. I can't. Bye."  
  
"Fine. . . Bye. . ."  
  
Buffy hung up the phone and her thoughts began to wander back to Faith. Before her train of thought really got anywhere Willow entered the dorm room.  
  
"Morning Buffy." She said cheerily.  
  
"Morning Will, where were you last night?"  
  
The redhead blushed slightly, but Buffy didn't notice. "With a friend."  
  
"Ok." Buffy responded before lying back on her bed.  
  
"So, any luck with Adam?" Willow asked, glad her best friend didn't ask anything else.  
  
"None. And I can't get that blaster thing to work either." Buffy responded with a sigh.  
  
"Well, maybe we should show it to Xander; he might be able to do something with it."  
  
"Yeah. That sounds good. I'll call Giles, we can make it a big group get- together."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"So, can you repair it?" Buffy asked Xander  
  
"Sure. Just as soon as I get my masters degree in advanced starship technology."  
  
"Well why don't we experiment?" suggested Willow, "press some buttons, see what happens."  
  
"Giles looked up from the other side of the room. "I'd like to veto that."  
  
"Second." Xander said, raising his hand in agreement. "It's called a blaster, Will. A word that tends to discourage experimentation. Now if it were called the orgasmator I'd be the first to try your basic button press approach."  
  
Buffy was becoming a little annoyed. "Just tell me: can you repair it or not?"  
  
"I'm working on it." Xander replied. "If I blow a whole in my mom's azalea patch the neighbors will not be pleased."  
  
Buffy sighed and sat down, resting her forehead in her hand. She had way too much on her plate right now.  
  
"Are you alright?" Inquired a concerned Giles. He stood up and walking over to Buffy. Sitting back down again he continued. "You've been patrolling round the clock for Three days strait. Perhaps you could use some-"  
  
"What?" Buffy cut in, "Some rest? There's a demonoid killing machine out there, Giles. It doesn't exactly work the night shift."  
  
"I was going to say you might use some back-up, but um. . . now that you mention it building up your strength might not be a bad idea."  
  
"Just get the blaster working." She said in Xander's direction, then more quietly "That's all the strength I need."  
  
"Are you sure?" asked Willow.  
  
Buffy was quick to respond. "Why? Because ray-guns aren't in the slayer handbook? Will, you haven't seen this Adam thing. He's the terminator without the bashful charm, and the last time we met he kicked my ass."  
  
"Oh no; blast away by all means." Responded the witch, "I just meant, no word about Riley?"  
  
Buffy let out a sigh. With all the thought about Faith she had nearly forgotten. "They keep telling me he's fine."  
  
Willow shrugged. "Maybe they're telling the truth."  
  
"Maybe, but I don't even know what the initiatives version of fine is. I mean, they could be forcing him back onto medication or torturing him for all I know."  
  
"From what we've seen I doubt they'll be trying to hurt him." Giles pointed out.  
  
"The only thing I know for certain is my boyfriend is locked away and I'm not helping." Buffy replied, a plan beginning to form in her mind even as she said the words.  
  
A loud electrical noise and a shout of shook came from where Xander was trying to fix the blaster. Oddly enough Buffy was too lost in her own thoughts to notice. She was planning on rescuing her boyfriend from and evil government organization, and she still kept having random little thoughts about Faith pop into her head. This was ridiculous.  
  
Funny thing was Willow and Giles were to lost in trying to figure out what Buffy was thinking to notice either.  
  
"Maybe Giles has a point." Willow put in as Xander turned around looking rather frazzled. "I mean Riley is their top gun guy, it doesn't make sense that they'd hurt him."  
  
Xander turned back to the gun, wondering if maybe he was going to turn invisible like that one girl. That would be kinda cool.  
  
"But the initiative has all those brain-washy behavior modification guys." Buffy pointed out.  
  
"So?" asked Willow  
  
"So what happens when they start not liking his behavior?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ok! Author here. I am getting REALY tired of just writing out these dialogues so I'm just going to skip the rest of them. You all know how it goes. So unless I get some reviews (more than one) asking me to slowly work my way through all the relevant scenes in the show along with some that I have added in I'm just gonna skip strait to the part where Faith arrives at the Summers home, cause that's when my story really starts to turn away from the Cannon. 


	3. Hate

Disclaimer: blah blah. . . not mine. . .  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
As the door before her opened Faith looked up from her thoughts to meet the eyes of Joyce Summers. She smiled.  
  
"Hi Joyce." She said simply, then firmly hit the older woman on the head and knocking her unconscious.  
  
"Mom!" yelled a young voice from the living room as Faith stepped inside.  
  
"And hello Dawny." added the slayer upon seeing the youngest Summers. Faith was at Dawn's side in a flash with her hand over the girl's mouth. "Shhh, don't scream." She whispered before dragging both the girl and her mother up the stairs.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Buffy had been out patrolling when something occurred to her. Her family. She had forgotten to warn her family. She now found herself in the tree outside her mother's window, but for some odd reason she felt compelled to watch the scene taking place inside instead of intervening right away.  
  
With her slayer hearing she could hear everything that was being said despite the layer of glass that kept her separated from the others.  
  
"Good thing pale is in this year; or was it last year?" Faith said as she applied a dark lipstick and leaned across the vanity to kiss the mirror, leaving a lip print on the glass. Buffy caught herself wishing she were that mirror. She quickly pushed the thought out of her mind.  
  
"Anyway, for real now. . ." Faith continued inside, "I'm gonna ask you something and you have to be honest and not spare my feelings just cause I could kill you. You promise?"  
  
"I promise." Joyce answered from the bed.  
  
"Ok," Faith said, turning around and putting on a jacket, "How do I look?"  
  
'Sexy.' Thought Buffy before pushing that thought out of her mind even more quickly than the last one.  
  
"Psychotic." Buffy heard her mother answer.  
  
"Hm. . . I was shooting for sultry, but hey." Faith responded. "Bet I know what you're thinking."  
  
"Really?" the older woman replied sarcastically.  
  
"You're thinking. . ." Faith waved her hands in the air as though it were helping her to read Joyce's mind. "You'll never get away with this! Warm?"  
  
"Actually I was thinking: My daughter is going to kill you soon."  
  
"Is that a fact?"  
  
"More like a bet."  
  
"Wow. You got a pair on you, Joyce. I like seein' that in a woman your age." Faith said walking across the room. Turning back to Joyce she continued, "Guess you can afford to talk that way. I mean in the world according to Joyce Buffy is going to come crashing through that door any minute. But. . ." she moved back over to the vanity and grabbing a small stack of envelopes. Jumping on the bed she said, "Look what I found." She began tossing the envelopes to the side one by one, reading the name 'Buffy Summers' off each one. "She hasn't been by in a while, huh?"  
  
'When was the last time I visited Mom and Dawn?' thought Buffy guiltily.  
  
"And you'd think. . . with a crazy chick like me on the loose, crazy chick with a wicked grudge against her no less, she'd call; give you a heads up." Faith pushed off the bed. "But Buffy's to into her own deal to remember dear old Mom."  
  
"You don't know the first thing about Buffy or about me." Joyce stated firmly.  
  
"Don't I?" Faith asked "I know what it's like. You think you matter, you think you're a part of something and you get dumped. It's like the whole world is moving and you're stuck. Like those animals in the tar pits. It's like you just keep sinking a little deeper every day and nobody even sees."  
  
"Were you planning on slitting my throat any time soon?" Joyce asked, returning to sarcasm.  
  
"Don't tell me you don't see it Joyce. You served your purpose, you squirted out the kid, raised her up, and now you might as well be dead!" Suddenly Faith turned to Dawn where the girl was huddled next to her mother on the bed. Buffy had forgotten she was even there. "And what about you, Dawny? You never even mattered to Buffy at all! I bet she forgot you almost as fast as she forgot me!"  
  
"That's not true." The young girl said quietly.  
  
"What? What makes you think she didn't forget you?" Faith demanded.  
  
"Not me; you."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Buffy." Dawn said a little louder, "She didn't forget you."  
  
Faith hesitated for a second before brushing the girl's comment off. "How would you know?"  
  
"Because I listen."  
  
"What?" asked Faith at the same time Buffy thought it.  
  
"I listen to Buffy when she's talking to her friends about demons; it's the only way I can ever find out what's going on around here. I heard her tell Giles that she dreamed about you every night."  
  
'Ack!' thought Buffy 'Dawn has been eavesdropping?' Then she looked to her fellow slayer to see her reaction to the news.  
  
Faith stood there, stunned into silence. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Buffy dreamed about her? After a moment she regained her composure. "Of course she dreams about me," the dark slayer reasoned out loud, "We have these shared dream things."  
  
"Every night?" Dawn asked as though she knew the answer.  
  
"Well. . . no. . . but, that doesn't mean-" Faith began but Dawn cut her off.  
  
"She said she dreamed about you every night." The young girl said firmly. "She never forgot about you."  
  
Faith looked like her whole world had been turned upside down. Buffy never forgot her? How was that possible? Buffy hated her, she would want to forget. . . wouldn't she? Faith sank to the floor, too deep in thought to verbalize anything just yet.  
  
Outside Buffy could tell that for the moment her sister slayer was not a threat, but she still wanted to get to her. The thing was, her motivation for reaching the other slayer was different now. She didn't want to hurt the other slayer, she wanted to comfort her. Buffy jumped down out of the tree and ran around to the front of the house. She opened the door and ran up the stairs, taking them three at a time. She slammed open the door to her mother's room causing everyone in the room to jump.  
  
Dawn was the first to react. "Buffy!" she yelled enthusiastically and leapt off the bed to give her sister a tight hug.  
  
Joyce smiled. "Hi Honey."  
  
"Hi Mom." Buffy said and then pried Dawn off her waist. "Hi Dawn." Then she turned her attention to Faith. The normally confident girl was looking at Buffy in confusion and fear. Buffy collected her thoughts. "Faith. . ."  
  
"Don't you hate me?"  
  
Well, that derailed Buffy's train of thought. "What?" she managed to ask after a second.  
  
"Don't you hate me?" Faith repeated in a scared and quiet voice. "Don't you want me dead?"  
  
Buffy took a deep breath. "I don't know. I don't know what I want."  
  
"But you do hate me."  
  
"No. I could never hate you." The words surprised even Buffy.  
  
A tear rolled down Faith's cheek. It was a tear both of joy and of fear of a world that was nothing like she had imagined it was. She looked at the floor and began to cry uncontrollably. She felt to strong arms wrap around her and turned her head into Buffy's shoulder. She cried until she ran out of tears, and then fell asleep in Buffy's arms.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Well, since no one seemed to notice that chapter two was out I just went ahead and wrote chapter three. So what do people think? 


	4. The Beginning

Disclaimer: like you would know who to sue even if I didn't have this thing here.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
When Faith woke up the next morning she found herself in Buffy's old bedroom. She had dreamed of waking up here before, but in her dream Buffy woke up next to her. There was a shirt and a pair of jeans laid out on the end of the bed. Faith put on the new outfit and quietly made her way down the stairs. She kept on looking around as though something was going to jump out at her; she just couldn't shake the feeling that this had to be a trick.  
  
She looked into the living room and had to smile. Buffy was asleep on the couch. Faith had never seen Buffy sleep before. She seemed younger, almost innocent. Faith just stood there watching her for about ten minutes.  
  
"Faith?" she heard a young voice ask from the top of the stairs, "Are you Ok?"  
  
The slayer looked up and smiled at Dawn. She had always found the girl annoying up until that point, but something about the worry on her face made Faith forget all that. "Yeah." She answered softly, "Five by Five."  
  
"Good. Buffy will be glad to hear that."  
  
"Will she?" asked Faith  
  
"Of course she will! She stayed here last night to make sure you were all right!"  
  
"No. She stayed to make sure I didn't kill anyone."  
  
"No I didn't" said a sleepy voice behind Faith. "I would have slept closer to you if that was all I wanted."  
  
Faith didn't have an answer to that. For a short while no one talked. Then Joyce Brushed past Dawn on the stairs. "Morning girls; who wants breakfast?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
After breakfast Buffy brought Faith with her to a meeting at Giles's house. It took about 45 minutes and a lot of arguing but Buffy finally managed to get everyone Ok with the idea that Faith might be someone they could start to not fear for their lives around. She got the feeling it was going to take a lot more than 45 minutes to convince them that Faith was trustworthy. . . Buffy herself wasn't fully prepared to trust Faith again either, but she wanted to forgive Faith more than anyone else did.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
That night after dinner Faith began to relax a little. She hadn't said mush all day, but that ended here.  
  
"So B, you going back to that dorm room of yours tonight?" she asked casually.  
  
"No; I think I'm gonna stay here again."  
  
"Don't trust me around your family?"  
  
"It's not that. I want to make sure you don't run away."  
  
"I didn't think that would be much of a problem for you."  
  
"It would Faith, It would be a problem. I made you leave my life once and it was one of the worst things I've ever done. There's no way I'm going to let you go this time."  
  
Faith felt like she should make some kind of wise crack, but the serious look in Buffy's eyes made it impossible for her to think that hard. The only though she could think was that Buffy not only didn't hate her, she felt bad about putting her in a coma AND wanted her to stay. Finally she shook herself out of it.  
  
"At least let me be the one to sleep on the couch; you can sleep in your room."  
  
Buffy shook her head. "No, I have to be able to make sure you don't leave. It's too easy for you to sneak out if you're downstairs."  
  
"Not giving me much credit there, B. I could always go out that window in your room. You of all people should know how easy it is to get out that way." Faith pointed out.  
  
Buffy blushed a little at her mistake. Faith was right; she was going to have to be closer to the other slayer than that. "Alright tonight we both sleep in my room."  
  
"K, I'll sleep on the floor and you can have the bed."  
  
"No, you will sleep on the bed and I will sleep on the floor. You are the guest in this house, after all."  
  
"And you aren't? In case you hadn't noticed, you don't actually live here anymore."  
  
"Faith, it's fine. The beds in the dorms are probably harder than the floor in my room anyway."  
  
"All the more reason why you should sleep in comfort tonight."  
  
"God! Why don't you both sleep in the bed?!" They both jumped, surprised by the young girl who had popped into the conversation/argument.  
  
"Dawn! Don't do that!" Buffy yelled. Then, realizing what her sister had suggested, her cheeks turned the deep color of red that Faith's already were. "Um. . . I don't think that's the best idea Dawn." The blond mumbled in a quiet and rather embarrassed voice.  
  
"Why not?" asked the young girl.  
  
"It just isn't." answered Faith before Buffy could say anything.  
  
In the end Buffy won what was left of the argument and ended up sleeping on the floor. Faith agreed to sleep in the bed only because 'somebody has to'.  
  
As she fell asleep Faith smiled to herself. Her life had turned around so much in the past two days. Buffy had actually argued on Faith's behalf that day, Faith promised herself she would not Betray the confidence that Buffy seemed to have in her. From here on out she was going to strive to do what was right, or at least to do things that weren't wrong.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Gee, I'm writing way faster than I thought I would be. Maybe I should get a life or something. . . nah. Well? Reviews please! Tell me what you think! Flame if you want, It'll tell me you at least read it. 


	5. The Kidnapping

Disclaimer: All these characters belong to Joss.  
  
Oh yeah. . . that's right. . . plot. . . ok, I can do that. (Please forgive me for the forgetting about there being a lot of other stuff going on. I'm going to start dealing with that stuff now.)  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was about two in the morning when both of the slayers were awoken by a loud crash. Several seconds later the door to Buffy's room opened to reveal three men, one of which was pointing a gun directly at Faith. Before either girl realized what was happening the gun went of and Faith had a dart in her arm. She ripped the dart out, but the tranquilizer was already beginning to take effect. She sank to her knees, slowly becoming more and more sleepy.  
  
Buffy jumped forward and tore the gun away from the first man quickly knocked him out with a firm punch to the side of the head. She began to shift her weight to kick the next of the men, but her body was hit by a sudden taser blast and she collapsed to the floor. Another blast hit her and she all but lost consciousness. She was vaguely aware of the two remaining men dragging two bodies down the stairs and out the front door. Then she let her eyelids fall closed and sunk into blackness.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
When Buffy awoke she was surprised to find the entire scooby gang in her bedroom. Suddenly she remembered the events that had led up to her own loss of consciousness. She sat bolt upright. "Faith!" she said loudly, before grabbing her now throbbing head; she shouldn't have sat up that fast.  
  
"What did she do?" asked Willow.  
  
"What? Oh, nothing, there were these men and they took her. . . God! They took Faith! We have to rescue her!" said Buffy becoming increasingly anxious.  
  
Xander Jumped up and clapped his hands with false enthusiasm. "Great let's go team! Time to risk life and limb on a rescue operation! I've just got one question: why?"  
  
"Because I said so." Buffy almost growled.  
  
A hand was placed on her shoulder and Buffy became aware of her boyfriends presence next to her. "Buffy, why are you getting so worked up about this? Just a few days ago you were giving me a long talk so I would understand just how tough and dangerous Faith was and now you want to send out search parties to find her and bring her back. What's the deal?"  
  
Buffy shook her head, she was having trouble explaining it herself. "I don't know, it's just. . . she's changed, Ok?"  
  
"Ok." Riley replied in an accepting tone, "So where do we start looking? I mean, we don't even know who these guys that took her are, how are we going to find them?"  
  
Buffy sighed, and started to collect her thoughts but Giles began to speak before she did. "Watchers' council. They, uh, showed up in my flat the day Faith woke up from her coma." Buffy looked over at him in surprise, but he was taking a great interest in getting something off his glasses and she couldn't make eye contact.  
  
"Giles, if you knew that there was some tweedy swat team here after Faith then why didn't you tell me?" She asked, trying to keep her rising anger out of her voice.  
  
"Must have. . . slipped my mind." Giles mumbled, still intent on his glasses.  
  
"Don't give me that! You know as well as everyone else here that that's a load of crap!" Buffy snapped, no longer hiding her rage. "You wanted them to catch her! You didn't like that I was making all friendly with her, so you just neglected to tell me that a whole bunch of secret agent types might swoop in a grab her at any moment!"  
  
At that Giles looked up, his own anger becoming visible. "Buffy, she's a killer. She doesn't deserve the level of trust you're giving her!"  
  
"Why not?!" demanded Buffy, realizing instantly that that had been the wrong thing to say.  
  
Giles was opening his mouth as though he intended to respond, but he seemed unable to find the words.  
  
Willow found them for him. "Why not!?!" she screamed, standing up, "She's killed. She held a knife to my throat! She betrayed us all! AND she. . . well she did a bunch of other stuff that I'm way to angry to think of right now!" The redhead was almost hyperventilating as she glared at her best friend, daring her to come up with a response to that.  
  
Buffy took a deep breath before responding. "Will, she's put all that behind her; and I'm trying to as well."  
  
"Buffy, it's not like that was all ancient history or anything! Just the other night she knocked out your mother and held her and Dawn hostage! The kind of turn around you're talking about takes more that a few days! What could possibly have happened that could have made her change her whole life!?" The witch demanded angrily.  
  
"That I don't hate her!" The slayer screamed back.  
  
Confusion flashed across the faces of everyone in the room (except Buffy).  
  
Anya summed up the confusion very well: "Huh? What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
Buffy let out a quick sigh of frustration before throwing her hands up in the air. "Forget it! I'll just go rescue her myself!" She yelled at no one in particular and stormed out of the room.  
  
The whole room flinched as the door was slammed with slayer strength. Everyone had the same basic thought in mind; that was weird. But willow, who knew Buffy better than anyone else present, also had another thought; there was more to all this than Buffy was saying.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Buffy stormed out of the house and started to look around for some clue of where they might have gone. Her eyes fell upon the bleach-blond vampire who had become quite annoying as off late. She stormed up to him and slammed him against a tree. "Spike! Three men came out of this house just now. They had a girl. Where did they go!?" She demanded.  
  
"Were they dragging one of the guys like a sack of potatoes?" asked the vamp.  
  
"Yes!" Buffy growled, "Now where?"  
  
"No idea, didn't see a thing."  
  
Buffy punch him hard in the nose and was rewarded by a loud 'Ow!'. "Where, Spike?" She hissed.  
  
"Bloody hell! That hurt!" Buffy drew back her fist. "Alright, alright! They got in some armored car looking thing, took of that way." He said, indicating the direction he meant. "They looked like they might have been headed for that old abandoned warehouse, only place you could hide a rig like that."  
  
Buffy shoved Spike to the ground and ran down the street at full speed.  
  
"Aren't you at least going to say thanks or something?" He yelled after her.  
  
"No!" she called back before rounding a corner.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Faiths eyes opened slowly as the tranquilizer wore off. She was in a small room, and there were bars. 'Jail!' She thought in fear, 'I'm in jail!' She sat upright and felt something metal around her wrists. She looked down. 'Shackles. They don't have shackles in jail. . . do they? They've got handcuffs, but they generally don't chain people to walls."  
  
Faith calmed herself down a little and took another look at her surroundings. It didn't take her long to realize she was in the back of some sort of prisoner transport vehicle, though this one was much better equipped to deal with a slayer than the one Wesley had tried to keep her in.  
  
Suddenly there was a man at the window at what Faith assumed was the back of the truck. "Well, it's awake." He said in a voice that was full of pent up hatred.  
  
"Who are you?" Faith demanded.  
  
"Council." The man answered. "Seems you've been a naughty girl."  
  
"Almost every chance I get." Faith answered coolly.  
  
He sneered at her before another man took his place at the small opening. "We're taking you into custody."  
  
"Oh, really? I thought you guys just liked it really kinky." Faith said sarcastically, shaking the chains on her wrists.  
  
He ignored the comment. "I would tell you you're rights, but at this point, you really don't have any."  
  
Faith roller her eyes at the man, somehow with the history she'd had the idea of being without any rights didn't really seem new or scary. Besides, these guys didn't seem all that tough. . . other than that whole overpowering two slayers in a manner of seconds thing. Faith winced internally. Maybe she was in a little more trouble than she had originally thought.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The morning sun was just beginning to come over the horizon as Buffy neared the old building where Faith might be hidden. She slowed her pace, realizing that she had forgotten to grab any sort of weapon before she left. She glanced around and grabbed a garbage can lid for use as a shield and an iron rod that would make a very nice staff. Feeling slightly more prepared she approached the building. Her plan was simple. Find Faith, get Faith out, hit anything that got in her way until it wasn't in her way anymore.  
  
She put this plan into use when she reached the door. It was in her way. She kicked it. Now it was not in her way.  
  
"What the. . .! Bloody hell!" she heard someone say. She ignored it. She looked around for the vehicle Spike had told her about. Didn't take long to find it. She began to walk towards it. She heard a small electrical noise close behind her and spun around quickly, lashing out with the iron rod. Just in time she remembered she didn't want to kill these guys, they were human after all. She softened the blow and the Man dropped to the ground unconscious, the taser weapon he held in his hand skittering off to the side, still active.  
  
She caught site off the man aiming the gun at her just in time to raise her make-shift shield. The dart hit it causing a harsh metallic noise before falling to the ground, harmless. The man with the gun looked down for a second to reload, when he looked back up the slayer was nowhere to be seen. He felt a sudden pain in the back of his head before his vision went dark.  
  
Buffy grabbed the loaded tranq gun from the man at her feet and aimed it at the third and final member of the special ops team. He was running for the truck, obviously trying to escape with Faith in tow. Buffy was not going to let that happen. She fired. The dart landed in the man's thigh and took effect even quicker than it had with Faith. It occurred to Buffy that a slayer sized dose might hurt the man, but at that moment she really didn't care.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Faith remained quiet, unsure of what was going on outside her small confined space. One thing was for sure: someone was getting their butt kicked. Faith ran through the possibilities of who might be doing the butt kicking, but the only logical answer she was able to come up with was someone in Sunnydale wanted her killed much sooner than the council would ever achieve. As the first set of doors in the back of the truck opened Faith took stock of her situation, preparing to fight whatever was after her in any way she could.  
  
The second set of doors opened and every muscle in Faith's body tensed; then, almost immediately, un-tensed. In front of her stood the small blond girl that had become the most important part of Faith's life ever since they had first seen each other in the ally that night.  
  
"Buffy?" Faith whispered under her breath.  
  
Before she knew what was happening the other girl was hugging Faith fiercely. Buffy pulled back with a look of both worry and relief on her face. "God, Faith, are you Ok? Did they hurt you? I'm so sorry! I can't believe I let them take you!" She said quickly before pulling Faith into yet another tight hug.  
  
Faith was surprised to say the least. Buffy had staged a rescue? For her? Why would she bother with that? "Buffy. . ." she began, trying to pull back; but the other girl would not allow it. She held Faith tightly to her as though she would disappear if she ever let go. Faith continued anyway. "Why did you come here?"  
  
"To get you back, stupid!" Buffy said close to crying in joy.  
  
"But, why would you want me back this badly?" Faith asked in a rather confused voice.  
  
"Because. . ." Buffy stopped. She hadn't really thought about it. Why did she want Faith back so bad? Buffy pulled back to look Faith in the eye. "Because I couldn't let them take you away." She said as though it actually explained something.  
  
Faith realized she wasn't going to get a straight answer out of the other slayer and just stopped thinking about it. "So, B, you think we could get rid of these chains?" she asked, holding up her hands to show what she meant.  
  
Buffy hadn't really noticed the chains in her joy at seeing Faith. "Oh, right, I'll go see if I can find the keys." Buffy said and left Faith for a moment. When she returned she had the keys with her. Both girls were quiet as Buffy freed Faith's wrists. As the chins fell to the ground Faith stretched her arms way up in the air, exercising her ability to move freely again. Buffy caught herself taking in the view Faith was providing her with. She quickly averted her eyes, hoping Faith hadn't noticed. She hadn't.  
  
"Alright B, lets get the hell out of here!" Faith said in a rather happy voice.  
  
"Sound good to me." Buffy said, risking a look back at Faith.  
  
As the two slayers left the building both found themselves thinking very hard about the other. Buffy was very deep in thought. Before she even realized what she was doing she had snaked her arm around Faith's shoulders and pulled the girl close to her as they continued walking.  
  
Faith's face turned slightly red, but she didn't pull away from the contact. In fact she raised her own arm and placed it over Buffy's shoulders. Buffy blushed, her thoughts quickly turning from why Faith was so important to her to why she so enjoyed being this close to her fellow slayer.  
  
The two girls walked slowly towards the Summers home both wishing that this moment, despite the confusion it invoked for both of them, could last forever.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ok, I made this chapter a little bit longer. Thanks for all the feedback guys! Don't stop now! Please review! 


	6. Realizing

Disclaimer: If these characters were mine I would have to wonder about my own sanity.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
As Buffy and Faith approached the Summers home they both felt as though there were some reason to hide the way they had walked home together. They pulled away, rather reluctantly, and walked up to the front door. Before Buffy could open the door it was pulled open. Riley was out the door and sweeping the blond into a tight embrace.  
  
"Buffy, I was so worried!" He pulled back to look her over. "Are you alright? I'm sorry I should have gone with! It's just that you left so fast and then I didn't know where you were and. . . Am I being over protective?" he asked, seeing to uncomfortable look in Buffy's eye.  
  
She looked away. "No. . . it's just. . ." What? What was it? For some reason she felt unfaithful. Why was that? She hadn't done anything wrong. Sure, so she walked home with her arm around someone else and, sure. She really enjoyed that walk and, sure. She had to resist the urge to walk right past her house so that she could stay with that other person forever and savor ever moment that they were close and- no! "Yeah, maybe just a little with the over protection." Buffy said, jumping on the excuse her boyfriend had provided for her.  
  
"Sorry." He said, smiling gently at her, "It's just that I'm not really used to having a girlfriend that can take one a bunch of demons and come out without a single scratch." With that he pulled her close to him and gave her a short yet sweet kiss.  
  
Faith found herself REALLY not liking this guy. She knew she had no right to be angry that he was touching the other girl, she was kind of his to touch. But then, that was the bit that Faith resented. He held a place in Buffy's life, and in Buffy's heart, that Faith would never get the chance to hold.  
  
Buffy pulled away from her boyfriend. "Um, Riley, I'm kinda tired. I'm gonna go back to sleep, ok?"  
  
Riley felt hurt, but accepting. "Alright; you go get your rest. I'll see you later, Ok?"  
  
"Yeah, sure." Buffy said pushing past him and into the house. She ran up the stairs and into her room. She shut the door a little harder then necessary and jumped onto her bed to bury her head in a pillow.  
  
"Buffy?"  
  
Buffy's head snapped up to look for the source of the voice. She found it. Willow was standing in the corner of the room with a worried look on her face. Buffy quickly forced back the tears of confusion that were beginning to form in her eyes.  
  
"Oh, Hey Will! What's up?" She said in a falsely cheery voice.  
  
"Buffy, what's going on?"  
  
Buffy felt a sense of dread. "What do you mean?" she asked, trying to be casual.  
  
"What's going on with you and Faith?"  
  
Buffy blushed, deeply. She didn't know how to answer that question. She couldn't explain why she felt protective of Faith or why she was so willing to trust Faith even after all the other girl had done. She didn't know why she liked touching the other girl. And she didn't know why all that made her feel guilty when she was around Riley. "I don't know." She said finally, as she couldn't think of anything else to say.  
  
Willow nodded. She knew that if Buffy was saying she didn't know what was going on then something big was starting. The witch chose her words carefully. "What is it that is making you so unsure?"  
  
Buffy's head dropped into her hands. There was no way around it, she was going to have to tell Willow about what she was feeling. "I don't know why I feel so strongly about her." She said, being intentionally vague.  
  
Before Willow had had suspicions, but now she was certain of what Buffy was feeling. She had told herself that she was just projecting before, wanting someone else to go through the same thing so it would be easier to talk about. But now she was sure. Buffy was in love with a girl. Her fellow slayer to be precise. "What kind of strong feelings?" Willow asked, not wanting to jump into the whole impending conversation too quickly.  
  
Buffy sighed and laid back on the bed. "I feel mad when I think of anyone hurting her. . ." she hesitated, but finally decided to add; "or of anyone touching her." The slayer fixed her eyes on the ceiling, and continued talking; trying not to think about why her best friend was being silent. "I feel safe when I'm near her. Not like nothing-can-hurt-me safe; I don't think I could ever feel that, what with all the danger I'm in ever second I'm alive. But I'm not at all worried that she's going to try and hurt me or Dawn or my mom. . . or anyone else. I know that normally that wouldn't seem like such a huge thing, but his is Faith. You said it yourself, she's killed. She betrayed us all once, there's not really any reason to think she wouldn't do it again." Buffy was beginning to say everything on her mind, externalizing her own internal conflict. Her own nervousness at the subject matter made the words come out more quickly. "What I mean is, I should be angry with her, but I'm not. I should be worried, but I'm not. I feel totally at ease when she's around. It's like I want her to be a part of my life like nothing ever happened. But something did happen! She hurt us and she killed people and she threatened to kill those close to me AND she almost killed Angel! I mean, I should hate her forever for that, shouldn't I? I love Angel. I did then and I still do now. So why don't I hate her For trying to kill him and nearly succeeding? And not only that but I actually enjoy being close to her! I love the fact that we aren't fighting. I feel like I can't believe I ever fought her but I also feel like that's what we should being doing! After everything that she did, we should be fighting! But I don't want to be fighting her, I want to be touching her! And I really don't have any right to want her like that, I mean I have Riley and. . ."  
  
Buffy's ramble came to a screeching halt as she realized what she had just said. She had just admitted, not just to Willow but to herself, that she wanted Faith. Not just that, but she had compared her wanting of Faith to the way she felt about Riley. Buffy gathered up her courage and looked across the room at her best friend, afraid to see how the redhead would react to the information.  
  
After a couple of seconds (which felt a little more like an eternity to Buffy) a small understanding smile found Willow's lips. She walked over to the bed and sat down cross-legged next to her best friend. "Buffy, there's nothing wrong with what you're feeling right now." She said in a gentle voice.  
  
"I know but-" the blond began quickly.  
  
"No." Willow stopped her. "You can't just brush past that like it's nothing. You really need to understand: There is nothing wrong with what you're feeling."  
  
Buffy looked up into the redhead's eyes and understood the truth in what she was saying. "Ok." She said more slowly. "There's nothing wrong with it." Buffy took a deep breath before continuing. "But, I'm not even sure why I feel this way. . . what's causing it. . ."  
  
Willow gave a small sad smile. She knew what Buffy was feeling; she had been through the same thing not long before. She was still going through it. She still hadn't told Tara just how much she loved her. But that wasn't the issue here and now. Willow couldn't just tell Buffy that it was love she was feeling; Buffy had to find that out for herself. But that didn't mean Willow couldn't help her to see it. "Buffy. . ." Willow began, searching for the right words to guide her friend, "what do you feel like when you're with her?"  
  
Buffy thought about the question. "I don't know. . . it feels nice to be around her. . ."  
  
"Nice like being with me and Xander?"  
  
Buffy had to stop and think again. "No." she said finally, "It's different."  
  
"Different how?"  
  
More thinking. "I'm not sure."  
  
"Can you remember ever feeling this way before? With someone not Faith?" Each of Willow's questions were gentle, soft, and carefully worded. The witch knew she was getting Buffy to be very open. She also knew that one wrong word and Buffy would throw up emotional barriers and Willow wouldn't get another word out of her about her and Faith for a year.  
  
Buffy thought back. "Sort of. . ." she answered slowly. "I've never felt EXACTLY like this before, but. . . it was a lot the same with. . . with Angel. . ." Buffy said, the significance of her own words hitting her as she said them.  
  
"And like Riley?" Willed asked, trying to encourage Buffy to understand and admit her own feelings.  
  
"No." Buffy replied, surprising Willow and herself with the answer, "No, I don't feel it with Riley." She paused before clarifying what they both understood already. "I don't love Riley."  
  
Willow felt like Buffy had found her feelings now, it was safe to ask. "But you do love Faith?"  
  
Buffy was silent for a long time. Willow was beginning to think that she wasn't going to say anything at all when she finally spoke. "I do." The slayer said in a quiet voice. So quiet, in fact, that Willow almost couldn't hear the fear that the voice was full of. Willow understood that. Buffy had just realized that she was in love not just with a girl, but with a person who had caused her much pain in the past. Buffy and Faith had bad history and it was going to be hard to work past that. But then, it would be even harder if only one of them was trying. Willow made a mental note to talk with Faith and try to find out what she felt for Buffy later on. As Willow pulled out of her thoughts she saw a tear streak down her best friend's face. She pulled the other girl into her lap, rocking her back and forth until she fell asleep.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Faith watched as the front door shut, leaving her and Riley alone on the porch. Faith felt exceedingly uncomfortable about the whole situation. Here she was, alone with a boy she didn't really know who just happened to be dating the only person Faith had ever fallen in love with. The fact that she was fighting the urge to pummel the guy for touching said person wasn't really helping the situation.  
  
"So. . ." Faith began, wanting to break the silence, "you and B, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, she is the most incredible person. . . I still can't believe that she's mine."  
  
Faith felt the sudden urge to tell this stupid beef-stick all about the last man Buffy had gotten serious with, maybe that would wipe that dreamy smile of his stupid face. She stopped herself. She knew that she was incredibly lucky that Buffy was giving her such a huge second chance, she didn't need to blow it in a moment of jealous rage. She searched for something else to talk about. "How did you meet B, exactly?" she asked, immediately wishing she hadn't. She did not need to know the details of Buffy's life with this guy; it would just be like salt in the wound.  
  
"I was the assistant in a class she take takes. Or, took I guess. It's kinda over now." He said, a hint of mourning in his voice.  
  
Faith grinned internally. She had a feeling she could make this guy squirm without telling him something that would get Buffy mad at her. "Why did it end?" she asked in an innocent voice.  
  
Sadness was all over Riley's face now. He looked at his feet. "The professor. . . she was killed."  
  
'Killed, not just died.' Thought Faith 'Well, this is Sunnydale, after all.' "Really?" She asked, trying to sound shocked, "What evil thing killed her?"  
  
"3-14." Riley said quietly.  
  
"Um. . . what?" asked Faith, genuinely confused.  
  
"Adam." Riley said, more anger in his voice now.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Adam! The evil killing machine that's been terrorizing this town? That. . . that. . . THING that the initiative. . ." Riley sighed "that we built."  
  
"Wow, hold on, built?" Faith asked in surprise, "What is it, a robot?"  
  
Riley snapped out of his guilt trip to look at Faith in confusion. "You don't know?"  
  
"Know what?" Faith asked with equal confusion.  
  
"About Adam. Didn't Buffy tell you? I mean, I thought you would have at least seen him by now. . . have you not been patrolling with Buffy?"  
  
Faith stopped. Patrolling? She had forgotten about patrolling. Buffy hadn't been patrolling since she had shown up. Faith hadn't really noticed until now. How could Buffy not be patrolling when there was something more powerful than a couple of vamps out there? Faith looked back up at Riley. "No. I haven't been patrolling with her. I don't think she was ready to fight with me on her side again just yet. She mentioned this Adam thing, but she hasn't told me much about it what with all the patrolling and such." Faith said, casually but carefully. "Maybe you could tell me a little more about it?"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was an hour before Buffy stopped crying. Willow hadn't said anything other that 'It's gonna be Ok.' The whole time, but her thoughts had wandered from one topic to another, each one concerning Buffy and Faith in some way. She wondered where Faith was, how long Buffy had felt this way, if Faith felt the same, how it would effect Buffy if she didn't, and a whole slue of other things.  
  
Now Buffy was in the bathroom, washing the tears from her face, and it was her turn to think. She had many of the same thoughts Willow did while she was crying, but now she had a new one. She dried her face and returned to her room. Upon entering she asked: "Will, where are Dawn and my mom? Normally they're both all overly worried about me when I get back from anything other than a basic patrol, but I haven't seen them since before I went to bed last night."  
  
"I asked them not to approach you until I had a chance to talk to you. I was going to call for them if you came back really badly hurt."  
  
"What if I didn't come back?"  
  
"I wasn't really worried about that."  
  
"Really?" Buffy asked a little surprised. "I think if they didn't have Faith even I would have been worried about me going up against them."  
  
"Yeah, well, there were only three of them and they were only human."  
  
"Yeah, I guess." There was a short pause before continued. "I better go see how Faith is doing."  
  
"Ok, I'll wait here." Willow replied.  
  
Buffy smiled at her before walking out the door.  
  
Willow laid back on the bed, thinking about everything she had just learned. About five minutes later the door slammed open again, startling Willow.  
  
Buffy burst into the room looking as though she were having a minor panic attack. "Willow! Faith is gone!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Muahahahahahaha! I cliff-hang you! Review or I will wait an agonizingly long time to update! Muahahahahaha! 


	7. Power

Disclaimer: you all know who created these characters. Why do I have to say it?  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Willow sat bolt upright. "What?"  
  
"I told you, she's gone!" Buffy practically screamed.  
  
Willow took a deep breath. "Ok, just calm down."  
  
"Calm!? No calm! Calm is not an option here! There's kind of panicking, really panicking, and strangling the next person who gets within five feet of me!"  
  
Willow hesitated, "And which one of those options are you closest to right now?"  
  
Buffy gave Willow a serious look. "Don't get too close to me." She said before spinning around and storming back out the door. "I'm going to go find her! You see if you can do some kind of spell to figure out where she is, a slayer detection spell or something! If there's only one slayer in Sunnydale then come find me!" Before Willow could respond in any way the front door slammed shut.  
  
Willow took another deep breath and picked up the phone by Buffy's bed. She dialed and put it to her ear. After two rings the other phone was picked up. "Hello?"  
  
"Giles! Faith has gone missing. I'm coming over there, Ok? We need to find a slayer detection spell, NOW! I'm gonna be over there as soon as I can and I'm bringing a friend, Ok?"  
  
After a moment Giles managed a surprised "Alright." Willow hung up. She waited a moment before lifting the receiver again and dialing the second number.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Faith walked quickly from graveyard to forest to abandoned warehouse. She couldn't believe this. Buffy, protector of the small and helpless (and anything else that didn't wear a 'Hi, I'm evil. Ask me how' badge), had not gone patrolling for two nights in a row when there was a insane heartless very powerful killing beast thing in Sunnydale! Buffy had been patrolling almost non-stop before Faith had shown up, Faith felt she was responsible. The responsibility was heavy. Faith felt like anyone who died from any demonic creature - not just Adam - since that time was someone Faith had personally killed.  
  
As Faith moved through the graveyard a vamp jumped out at her. She grabbed him by the front of the shirt with her left hand and staked him with her right. She threw the vamp as hard as she could over her shoulder, putting all her frustration into the motion. The vamp flew at least ten feet before finally turning to dust.  
  
She stormed away. Ten! Ten vampires in one night! There were never this many vamps, even in Sunnydale! It was more than obvious that the slayer had been taking a break.  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by a male voice from behind her. "Who are you?" It asked simply.  
  
She whipped around and her eyes met with those of a creature that reminded her of the modern day version of Frankenstein. She smiled. "If you don't know who I am then you are in for a surprise." She said in the taunting voice she always used with her opponents.  
  
"Slayer." Adam said simply as he looked at her without fear.  
  
"So, you been watching me dust vamps or something?" Faith questioned coolly.  
  
"You are human, yet you are different on a cellular level. You are stronger."  
  
"Yes. Now can we get to the part where I kick your ass?"  
  
Adam ignored the comment. "But you are not the only. I have met the other. She has been strong for longer than you."  
  
"Gee, keen observation. What are you, like a demonic mystic?"  
  
Adam cocked his head to the side. "If you don't know who I am then you are in for a surprise."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Buffy ran as fast as she could from one place to another, trying to figure out where Faith would go. 'It would help if I knew WHY she left." Buffy thought in annoyance. She was running past one of the graveyards she frequented when something stopped her. A thought. If she hadn't gone patrolling for two nights in a row how come she had only seen two vamps? Perhaps Faith was slaying. Buffy turned and headed into the cemetery at full speed, hoping that Faith wouldn't do anything stupid.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Willow ran through Giles's door dragging a blond girl Giles didn't recognize behind her. Willow didn't bother to introduce him. "Giles, do we have a spell?" Willow asked urgently.  
  
"Uh. . . yes." Giles said, still a little surprised by Willow's attitude.  
  
"Great." Willow said in a happier voice, though it still carried a hint of urgency. "What do we need for the spell?"  
  
Giles handed the redhead a small slip of paper. "I've copied the spell onto this, the book I found it in was rather cumbersome."  
  
Willow examined the paper and then looked up at Tara. "I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but it's almost exactly the same as the demon locator spell that we did last week."  
  
"Why would that be a bad thing?" Giles inquired.  
  
Willow turned back to the watcher. "The spell didn't work."  
  
"I-I, I'm sure it'll w-work this time." The blond stuttered.  
  
The redhead looked back to the paper. "This is definitely good news though; we already have all the ingredients."  
  
"Well then, let's set it up." said Giles.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Faith was in way over her head. She realized that now. She had given up on hitting this thing, the framework of it's body seemed to be some sort of metal. Now she just dodged and ran. Trouble was, her pursuer was fast. He had obviously been designed to have the best qualities of many different demons, each quality enhanced with technology. Faith was beginning to think that the demon hybrid was just playing with her, testing her abilities; chasing her for long periods of time to test her endurance, Each time he landed a blow it had a little more strength behind it than the last as though to test the strength of her bones.  
  
Faith didn't have anymore time to contemplate her enemy's moves; he had caught her again. A punch lashed out for the girl's side. She tried to duck it, but wasn't fast enough. The fist made contact with her upper arm and she heard a cracking sound before she felt the pain, before she realized what had happened.  
  
Faith backed away, cradling her broken arm. It was obvious that Adam considered the test over, as held up his arm and a long spike extended out of the palm of his hand. He walked towards Faith with one obvious intention: kill.  
  
The slayer was not prepared to let that happen. She turned and ran full speed the other direction. She heard footsteps after her but didn't bother to look back. She just ran.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
As Willow and Tara completed the spell, blowing the mixed powder out over the square of space, a mist rose in the square. After a second the mist settled down and two shining white lights could be seen. Both lights were moving, and luckily they seemed to be moving in the general direction of the other.  
  
Willow smiled. "They're close. I think they should find each other soon." Willow moved to stand up but Tara stopped her.  
  
"Look." She said simply, pointing back to the magical map of Sunnydale they had created.  
  
The redhead looked where the other girl indicated. As the two lights moved closer to each other they grew brighter, as though the proximity of the other amplified their power.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Buffy was dashing through the cemetery now. She could feel something ahead of her; a pull. As though someone she cared about needed her help. She had always felt a small tug when someone close by needed her help, but this was different; it wasn't just a little tug, it was a strong and constant pull. Somehow the closer she got to this pull the stronger it became, and she was becoming stronger as well. She could feel it. The strength felt like she was being called again, feeling the power for the first time. She could feel something else about the pull now. She just knew, all at once, that it was Faith. Faith was in danger. Buffy redoubled her speed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
As Adam chased the younger slayer through the woods he realized something. At the speed he was going he should have caught her by now. She was getting faster. How was that possible? He had tested the slayer's speed, she could not go this fast before. So why was it possible now?  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Willow, Tara, and Giles watched in amazement as the two points of light grew increasingly more intense, shining brighter and brighter with every passing second. Tara was beginning to wonder how much brighter they could get.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Buffy cold tell she was very close now. She was almost to the edge of the cemetery. Just before she entered the forest that bordered the cemetery, a figure leapt out of the trees about ten feet to her left. She didn't have to take a closer look to know who it was. She came to a screeching halt and reversed direction, running after the dark figure. "Faith!" She yelled at the other girl.  
  
The dark slayer whipped around. Looks of both relief and fear flashed across her face. "Buffy, you have to get out of here!" she screamed.  
  
Before Buffy could ask why Adam burst out of the forest.  
  
The two slayers exchanged looks before turning and running full speed away from the creature.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Tara smiled. "Hey look, they found each other!" she said happily, shading her eyes from the almost piercing light that was now emanating from the spelled square.  
  
"Wait, something's wrong." Willow said, taking a closer look at the spell.  
  
"What makes you say that?" questioned Giles.  
  
Willow pointed to the two dots of light. "They're still running. I think they might be trying to get away from something."  
  
Tara looked a little confused. "What would two slayers be trying to get away from?"  
  
Giles's eyes widened in realization. "Adam." He whispered fearfully.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Buffy and Faith shoot through the cemetery, actually gaining enough speed to inch away from Adam. But they couldn't keep it up forever, and they had a feeling Adam could. Buffy thought of something. "I know a way we can lose him!" she yelled to Faith.  
  
"Run faster comes to mind!" Faith yelled back.  
  
Buffy knew there was a way that they could go that would slow Adam down and not them, but she didn't have time to explain her plan. She reached over and grabbed Faith's uninjured arm, pulling her in the direction they needed to go.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The two witches and the watcher winced as the lights coming from the slayer detection spell, already very bright, flashed so bright that if all three of them hadn't have turned away from the spell before the flash they probably would have been blinded. Suddenly the light stopped. Willow thought it had gone entirely dark until her eyes began to adjust. She turned around slowly to find that the spot where the spell had been was now blazing with fire.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Both the slayers stopped dead in their tracks as a jolt of power surged into them from the spot were their skin touched. It was the most incredible thing either of them had ever felt. Everything was more vivid: sights, sounds, smells, everything.  
  
Faith looked down at her broken arm in surprise. She could actually feel the bone mending. Slayer healing may be much faster than human healing, but this was almost ridiculous. The strangest part of all was that the bone was healing as though there were a splint holding it straight.  
  
Suddenly Buffy felt a sharp pain in her side. Adam had caught up with them and stabbed her.  
  
"Buffy!" yelled Faith in surprise and horror.  
  
But her fear was unwarranted, because as soon as Adam pulled the skewer out of her Buffy's flesh began to close around the wound. Adam stared at the hole in Buffy's shirt, wondering what had happened to the hole in her skin. Her was about to stab Buffy again as an experiment when a roundhouse kick from Faith caught him on the human side of his face. He hit the ground and the girls ran, never letting go of each other's hands. They both knew that the only reason Faith's kick had knocked the demon down was that he hadn't been expecting it. Even with the strength that now surged through them they could not take down Adam.  
  
They ran until they reached the Summers home. Once inside the front door they fell into each other's arms and sank to their knees. Buffy pulled the other slayer tightly to her. "God, Faith, what were you thinking?" She asked through happy tears.  
  
"Me? What about you? That thing on the loose in Sunnydale and you skip patrolling for two nights in a row? What were you thinking, B?" Faith demanded, trying to sound scolding, but the waver in her voice gave away her joy to be alive and - more importantly - in Buffy's arms.  
  
Buffy didn't have anything to say to that. Her thoughts had been so consumed by Faith that she had entirely forgotten about her duties as the slayer, and she couldn't really tell Faith that. She pulled back a little and touched her forehead to the other girl's. "Sorry." She said, a little more sheepishly than she had intended.  
  
Faith smiled a little and looked up into Buffy's eyes with the intention of scolding her more, but the moment their eye's met Faith's breath caught in her throat. The other girl's eyes seemed deeper and more beautiful than any Faith had ever seen before. But it was the emotions in the eyes that had taken Faith's breath away. The other girl was looking at her with worry, joy, fear and. . . love? No, that couldn't be right. Faith must have been imagining it. Faith decided to look at something other than Buffy's eyes; her eyes were too confusing.  
  
Faith pulled back and tucked a stray lock of golden hair behind Buffy's ear. To her surprise Buffy closed her eyes and leaned into Faith's hand. Faith found her self staring at Buffy's face. Everything about her face was perfect. The eyes, the cute little nose, the lips turned up in a small smile of contentment, everything. Faith moved her hand to cup the back of Buffy's neck and leaned forward, closing her own eyes as she did so. They were so close that Faith could feel Buffy's breath on her face. Time seemed to slow down as their lips moved closer, as if it were preparing to stop.  
  
Suddenly the two girls were knocked back into sync with normal time when the front door opened straight into them, sending them both tumbling. Riley appeared in the door, a very worried look on his face. "Is everyone Ok?" he asked in a concerned voice.  
  
Buffy sat up and glared at him. "We WERE fine." She hissed angrily, wondering why she didn't feel at all guilty.  
  
"We're Ok." Said Faith in a more controlled voice, though anger and frustration boiled inside her.  
  
"Are you sure?" he asked, not picking up on the less than subtle hints to leave.  
  
Buffy remembered something. "Riley, I really think you should go back home. You really aren't in any condition to be helping me out right now."  
  
Faith looked at Buffy in confusion. The beef-stick was hurt? The funny thing was that Riley looked just as confused for at least ten seconds before he finally remembered what his girlfriend was talking about. Looking down to where Adam had stabbed him he said; "Oh yeah, I guess you're right." Looking back to Buffy he asked "See you tomorrow?"  
  
Buffy put on a fake smile. "Yeah. Tomorrow. I've got something I need to talk to you about when I see you, K?"  
  
"Ok, see you then." He said with a smile and - finally - left.  
  
Buffy let out a sigh of relief and turned to Faith. "Sorry about that."  
  
Faith shrugged. "No problem, B."  
  
"He's just such a-"  
  
"Idiotic lump?" Faith said before she realized what she was saying. She turned to the other slayer, expecting to see anger. But there wasn't any anger. In fact Buffy was laughing.  
  
"Yeah, I guess he is." She giggled.  
  
Faith grinned in surprise. This was the last reaction she had expected. After a moment she began laughing too.  
  
"What's so funny?" asked a voice from the top of the stairs.  
  
Faith looked up. "Hi Joyce!"  
  
"Hi Faith." She turned to Buffy "Glad you found her. I was hoping you would soon."  
  
"Anything wrong?" asked Buffy in a worried voice.  
  
"Oh, no it's just that I do have to go to the gallery today and I was worried you wouldn't be back before I left." Joyce looked from the face of one girl to the other for a moment before starting to walk down the stairs. "Well, I'm off!"  
  
"Bye Mom."  
  
"Bye Joyce."  
  
Mrs. Summers waved one last goodbye before shutting the front door behind her.  
  
As the door shut the two girls looked back to each other. They stared at each other for a long time, unsure of what to say. Finally Buffy broke the silence. "You tired?"  
  
"Exhausted." Faith answered quickly. And smiled at how similar the exchange they had just had was to the one they had had after defeating Kakistos not long after Faith and Buffy had first met. Buffy had been so kind after that. . . that was when Faith had fallen in love.  
  
As Faith reached the door to Buffy's bedroom she realized just how right she had been when she had said she was exhausted. Neither girl had gotten a full night's sleep (even by slayer standards) and they both fell onto the bed. Just before Faith drifted off to sleep she felt Buffy's arms wrap around her middle, pulling her into a warm and protective embrace.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Ok, I'm going on a little vacation so it'll probably be a few days before I get the next chapter up. Thanks for all the reviews guys! Please keep 'em comin'! 


	8. Meeting

Disclaimer: I disclaim these characters.  
  
I'm back! Took me a little while to figure out what I wanted to do with this chapter but I got it now. Enjoy!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Buffy didn't get to sleep until about two and a half hours after Faith did; something about the other girl being asleep in her arms made it very hard to sleep. Also, Buffy had not spent many months in a coma, so she was a little more used to the long work nights.  
  
When she finally did fall asleep it was only because she couldn't keep her eyes open another second. The sleep that followed was deep, and that was probably the only reason Faith was able to sneak away.  
  
It took several attempts because Buffy kept pulling Faith back to her whenever she tried to get up. Faith enjoyed every minute of this and would have loved to just stay there in Buffy's arms until all the hells froze over, but she had to attend to certain bodily functions (stupid human body!).  
  
After Faith relieved herself she made her way down the stairs to the kitchen; she was starved. Faith rummaged through the refrigerator and finally settled on some leftover pizza. As she was waiting for the microwave to heat up her meal she looked around to see what time it was. She found a clock and discovered that it was twenty after four.  
  
Faith was about halfway through the pizza when she heard the front door open.  
  
"Hey, I'm home!" called a young voice.  
  
"Quiet, Buffy is sleeping!" Faith called back in a voice that was just loud enough for Dawn to hear.  
  
The younger girl came into the kitchen before answering. "Sorry." She said as she dropped her backpack on the floor and made her way to the fridge for an after school snack.  
  
"No problem." Faith replied calmly taking another bite out of the pizza.  
  
Dawn grabbed a yogurt and sat down next to Faith. She still felt weird around the other girl, she was having trouble getting past the fact that this girl had dragged her up the stairs of her house and held her hostage only a few days before.  
  
Faith sensed Dawn's uneasiness. She decided to start some sort of conversation. "So, kid, how was school?"  
  
Dawn could tell the slayer wanted to clear any grudges between them and she decided to go along. "Boring. I think at least three people fell asleep in each class."  
  
"You were actually awake to count?"  
  
"Yeah. . . I don't like to sleep in class. The desks are hard and the person next to me always tries to wake me up."  
  
"You're the one all your friends copy notes from, aren't you?"  
  
Dawn blushed a little. "Yep. I'm the geek in my group."  
  
Faith grinned. "Well, you don't seem all that geeky to me."  
  
Dawn smiled a little and took a bite of her yogurt. "So what happened with you and Buffy?"  
  
Faiths eyes widened a little before she realized that all the girl had intended to ask was how the whole run away thing had gone. "I staked a bunch of vamps, ran into Adam, he broke my arm," at this Dawn sat back a little looking for evidence of an injury she hadn't noticed. "Buffy found me, we ran, she grabbed my hand and we both got all powerful, my arm healed in about ten seconds, I kicked Adam, and then we ran again." Faith took another bite of pizza.  
  
Dawn smiled at the simple and casual way Faith had explained what had obviously been a less than pleasant experience. "Who's Adam?"  
  
Faith looked at the other girl in surprise. "Buffy didn't tell you?"  
  
Dawn shook her head. "Buffy never tells me about demony stuff."  
  
"Well at least I'm not the only one." Faith mumbled.  
  
"What?" inquired Dawn, not quite hearing what Faith had said.  
  
"Nothing." Faith replied and pushed the last of the pizza slice into her mouth. "Is it really safe for the slayer's sister to not know anything about what's going on in slayerville? I mean it's B's call what she tells you guys, but you think she'd at least keep you guys updated."  
  
Dawn shrugged. "Mom gets all worried whenever anyone reminds her that Buffy fights big scary monsters all the time. I don't think she could handle a news report on all the ways Buffy could have died that week."  
  
"True, but what about you? You don't seem to worry."  
  
"I am young and fragile and must be sheltered from the real world, or so I'm told."  
  
"B actually told you that?"  
  
"Not in those words exactly but. . . I'm thirteen and I still need a babysitter." Dawn said in an annoyed voice.  
  
"Well, yeah. . ." Faith said, trying to relate to the girls situation, "To help with hell-mouthy stuff, right?"  
  
"No, more than half the time the babysitter doesn't even know one way to kill a vamp. I mean, I knew that even before Buffy turned into slayer gal."  
  
Faith gave up on the attempting to relate. "I never had a babysitter myself."  
  
"Cause your parents knew you could take care of yourself, right?"  
  
"No, because they didn't care. Sometimes I think they might have forgotten they even had a daughter." Faith said deliberately.  
  
Dawn looked up in surprise. After a second she shook off her shock. "I guess I shouldn't complain, huh?"  
  
"Probably not." Was the simple reply. After a long pause Faith asked "So if she doesn't talk to you about life as a slayer then what does she talk to you about?"  
  
"Almost nothing. Usually it has something to do with how annoying I am and how I should leave her alone, now!" Dawn said, imitating an angry Buffy as she said the last word.  
  
Faith had to smile at the girl. She was a lot like Buffy in some ways, but very VERY different in others. "Why don't I take you out after school some time? We can have ice cream and you ask me stupid questions about boys or something."  
  
Dawn grinned, something about befriending the older girl appealed to her. "Sure. How about tomorrow?"  
  
"Cool. I guarantee fun."  
  
"Cool." Dawn replied and spooned another bite of yogurt into her mouth.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Buffy woke up to find herself alone in bed. She sat up quickly and looked around. "Faith?" she asked quietly before jumping out of bed and running out into the hall. As she ran down the stairs she repeated "Faith?" but this time louder and more urgently. Had Faith run out again? Was she in danger? How come she wasn't still in Buffy's arms? Buffy's fears were soon alleviated by Faith's call from the kitchen.  
  
"Hey, B! Down here!"  
  
Buffy rushed into the kitchen to find Dawn scraping out the last of a cup of yogurt and Faith sitting beside Dawn looking at Buffy with a worried look on her face.  
  
"Something wrong, B?"  
  
Buffy Began to calm herself down from her temporary scare. " No, nothing it's just. . . nothing." She took a deep breath before continuing. "So, what are you guys talking about?"  
  
"Faith says she'd going to take me out for ice cream and we can talk about boys." Dawn answered cheerily.  
  
Buffy turned to Faith. "What kind of boy talk would this be?" she asked slowly, not at all surprised that she was more worried about her sister's innocence than her safety.  
  
"Don't worry, B. It'll be G-rated, I swear." Replied Faith in a calm and assuring voice.  
  
Buffy gave her a look that said 'it had better be' before turning back to her sister. "You have any home work today?" she asked calmly.  
  
"Yeah. . ." Dawn responded, obviously disappointed. "I'll go do it." She picked up her back pack with a sigh and started to walk away. She waved back to Faith over her shoulder before disappearing around the corner.  
  
After she left the two slayers were left with nothing but awkward silence for quite some time. It had been at least one whole minute before Buffy finally said something. "I should call Willow, make sure she knows we're both Ok." She said and gave a little smile before turned to the counter where the phone sat.  
  
She dialed Willow's number with a speed that came from practice. After a few rings Willow's voice said: "Hello?"  
  
"Hi, Will."  
  
"Buffy! Good, you're Ok! I mean, are you Ok?"  
  
"I'm fine Will, and so's Faith. How did you know we were in danger?"  
  
Willow related the story of what had happened with the slayer detection spell.  
  
Buffy nodded, forgetting that Willow couldn't see her. "It makes sense. I could tell I was getting more powerful the closer Faith and I got closer, and that flash must have been when I grabbed her arm. When we touched. . . we were both infused with this incredible power. It was. . ." Buffy almost said erotic but then remembered that Faith was sitting right behind her. "incredible." She finished.  
  
"I think I know what you mean. I've been casting spells with this other witch, and when we touch it's like both of our powers amplify themselves." Willow responded, also choosing not to mention just how intimate the experience was.  
  
"Well, we're fine, but I think we should call a Scooby meeting at my house to try and figure out what caused this. It we can learn how to harness this thing then we might be able to beat Adam."  
  
"Ok, I'll call Xander. He can get Anya."  
  
"Great. I'll get Giles then. Oh, and Will. . . if you want to bring this spell casting partner of yours, go right on ahead. Another mind in the mix is never a bad thing."  
  
Willow grinned at the idea of bringing Tara with her to a scooby meeting. "She just left for class, but I'll definitely bring her to the next meeting."  
  
"Ok, see you soon!"  
  
"K, bye!"  
  
Buffy hung up.  
  
As Willow heard the click on the other line she realized something: Buffy had forgotten about Riley. Oh well, this was a meeting about mystical forces; he probably would have spent the entire meeting waiting for some one to give him an order or something. They could do this without any military assistance.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Back at the Summers home Faith let out a quiet sigh; a scooby meeting meant that she would not be alone with Buffy. It also meant that she was going to be surrounded dy people that severely disliked her. She sighed again.  
  
Buffy turned away from the phone and back to Faith. The moment She saw Faith's face she started to worry. "Faith. . . what's wrong?"  
  
Faith turned her head away to hide her blush. She was searching her mind for the right thing to say to her fellow slayer when she felt Buffy's hand on her shoulder. A little surprised by the contact Faith look at the hand and then up at Buffy's face. For the second time that day Faith found herself in awe at the beauty of the blonde's. . . everything. She had to look away before she could say anything. "Nothing's wrong." She said at last.  
  
"Don't give me that." Buffy said gently, grabbing the dark slayer's other shoulder and turning the girl towards her. "Something is wrong and you know it."  
  
Faith, once again face to face with her blonde counter part, found her self swept up in the other girl's beauty once again. Again she had to look away before she could answer. "It isn't anything important."  
  
Buffy looked at the girl with concern in her eyes for a moment before Faith continued. "You need to call Giles." She mumbled under her breath.  
  
Buffy put her finger under Faith's chin and lifted her face up so that they were eye to eye. She searched those eyes for a long time, but eventually had to give up. She sighed and let Faith go. "You're right. I'll go call him." She said and turned back to the phone.  
  
Faith walked into the hallway before allowing herself a quiet gasp and a shudder of pleasure. How was it Buffy could do this to her when she did so little? Faith walked into the living room and sat down on the couch before taking a deep breath. Maybe the scooby meeting was a good thing. If she spent to much longer alone with the other slayer she was afraid she might do something she would regret.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Fifteen minutes later the scooby gang sat around Buffy's living room.  
  
Xander was the first to say anything. "So, why the meeting?"  
  
"It seems Buffy and Faith have a way of amplifying their powers through proximity to each other." Giles answered.  
  
Buffy cut in, "But, it only happened this one time. It's not like we're all mega super power now, and it never happened in high school either."  
  
Faith nodded her agreement. Then turned to Willow. "Hey red, could the spell you did have caused it?"  
  
Willow shook her head. "It was just a detection spell. It doesn't effect anything, it just tells us where the slayers are."  
  
"What if you screwed the spell up?" Anya asked.  
  
Willow shot a look at the ex-demon. "The spell worked just how it was supposed to. It detected slayer energy. That's what it does. Besides, I don't think there's anything that we could have done that could have caused this."  
  
"We?" asked Xander.  
  
Willow blushed a little. "Yeah, I've been working with another witch. She helped me with the spell."  
  
"Well that means we can assume there was something about this time that made it different, right?" ventured Faith, "I mean, there was either something about B and me?"  
  
Giles answered "Well it is still possible that there was an outside force at work, but it does seem more likely that the thing that made this incident different was with the slayers themselves."  
  
"So guys, what sis you do today that was new and different?" asked Xander.  
  
"Well, Faith went patrolling on her own without telling me for one thing." Pointed out Buffy causing Faith to blush a little.  
  
"That hardly seems like it would trigger an increase in your powers." Noted Giles.  
  
"Well, I was hurt and. . ." Faith blushed a little deeper at admitting this, but anything that could help. "I was scared. I was kind of wishing really hard that B was there with me."  
  
"I was really worried about Faith, and I was wishing that I could be where she was so I could help her." Buffy added, a blush on her own cheeks.  
  
"How did you know that she needed help?" inquired Willow.  
  
Buffy thought about it for a minute, trying to find the best way to describe what se had felt. "Well, I've always been able to tell when someone nearby is in trouble because I feel this little tug. While I was looking for Faith I felt a strong pull and I just kind of knew it was her."  
  
"Was it strong because she's a slayer?" asked Xander.  
  
Buffy blushed. The truth was the pull had always been a little stronger with those she was close to; right now she was getting very close to Faith. "Yeah, that must have been it. Because she was a slayer too."  
  
"So. . . you both really wanted to be with the other one." Anya surmised.  
  
"We can probably use that to our advantage." Noted Giles.  
  
"Yeah," agreed Faith, "advantages are good."  
  
"Well we should test it," Willow pointed out, "see if we can make it happen again."  
  
"Ok then, maybe sometime tomorrow? I would suggest we do it in the initiative but. . . evil. So why don't we start on separate ends of the cemetery and see if we can make it happen again." Suggested Buffy.  
  
Faith nodded. "I'm in."  
  
The details of the test were left for the next day. The meeting finished up and everyone left, Willow was last to go.  
  
"Buffy, are you sure you don't want to come back to the dorm? I mean, there really isn't any reason for you to keep sleeping here." The redhead noted.  
  
Buffy looked back at Faith who was still sitting in the living room. "Sure there is. You go, I'll see you tomorrow, Ok?"  
  
Willow nodded. "Ok, see you tomorrow then." She said and walked out the door, grinning as soon as Buffy could no longer see her face. She knew full well that Buffy wanted to stay with Faith. She remembered when she and Tara were like that; spending the night with each other just for the sake of being together. But then, it wasn't very hard to remember, it was only a few weeks ago. Willow's grin changed to a happy smile. She had decided she was going to go stay with Tara tonight.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
As the door shut Buffy turned back to Faith. She found the other slayer deep in thought. Slightly worried by what the content of her thoughts might be Buffy quickly walked over to Faith's side and sat down next to her, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder as she did so. "Whatcha thinking about?"  
  
Faith decided not to look at the other girl this time, it had a habit of making it so that all the words got stuck in her throat. "I was just thinking, I'm going to stay in Sunnydale right?"  
  
"I'm not gonna let you leave if that's what you mean." Buffy said firmly.  
  
"Well. . ." Faith hesitated. "I should get a place then. I mean I can't just stay here and-"  
  
"Yes you can." Buffy interrupted.  
  
Now Faith looked up. She met Buffy's eyes. After a moment she remembered how to talk. "But this is your home. I can't just-"  
  
"Once again I say yes you can."  
  
"But I can't-"  
  
"Yes. You. Can."  
  
Faith was a little surprised by Buffy's persistence. "But. . . why?" she forced herself to ask.  
  
Buffy smiled a little. "Because I want you here. Besides, what other place are you going to get?"  
  
Faith couldn't help it, her eyes started to well up with tears of happiness. Buffy pulled the crying girl into her arms, stroking Faith hair with her hand.  
  
Faith was amazed how right it felt; Buffy holding her like this. After a while she pulled away. "We should probably get some sleep."  
  
Buffy smiled at her and nodded. They stood up slowly and made their way up the stairs. They both got ready for bed quietly, occasionally glancing at the other. Then they both crawled into the bed and snuggled into each others arms before falling asleep as though they had been doing so all their lives. 


	9. Friendship

Disclaimer: Why on earth would you be on fanfiction.net in the Buffy fanfiction section thinking that I came up with these characters?  
  
Sorry guys! Took super long updating, kinda had some . . . stuff going on. Please forgive me! ^_^; This chapter the longest one yet, I hope that helps make up for it!  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
The two slayers were awoken only a few hours later by the sound of the phone ringing. With a loud groan Faith rolled out of Buffy's arms and grabbed the receiver.  
  
"What?!" Faith demanded, more than a little annoyed.  
  
There was a pause before a startled male voice answered. "Um. . . Buffy?"  
  
"No. We were sleeping."  
  
"We?"  
  
"Yeah, I was sleeping, she was sleeping. We were asleep."  
  
"Um. . . can I . . . talk to her?"  
  
Faith just barely managed to resist the urge to yell that he couldn't and slam down the receiver. "Fine." She said instead, handing the phone to the other girl.  
  
Buffy took the phone and put it to her ear. "Hello?" she said sleepily.  
  
"Hey, Buffy! It's Riley."  
  
"Oh hi Riley."  
  
Faith looked up in surprise. She hadn't really thought who she was yelling at, she was just angry. She hoped Buffy wasn't mad at her for it.  
  
"You said, you wanted to talk to me about something today?" He said a little too eagerly.  
  
"Um yeah." Moving the phone from her ear Buffy turned to Faith. "Um, could you leave for a minute?" she asked, trying not to make it sound like she wanted to get rid of the other slayer.  
  
Faith felt a stab of pain in her heart. She had offended Buffy. This was not good. "Um. . . yeah sure. No prob B."  
  
"Thanks." Buffy said, an apologetic tone in her voice.  
  
Buffy watched the younger slayer move out of the room. She could tell Faith had taken her asking her to leave the wrong way. She tried not to think about it and focused her thoughts on the impending conversation with her boyfriend.  
  
"Riley? You still there?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm still here."  
  
Unable to think of anything else to say Buffy simply replied "Good."  
  
After a long pause Riley ventured "You wanted to talk about something?"  
  
"Yep." Said Buffy collecting her thoughts. She didn't want to make this too hard on Riley. "It's kinda about us."  
  
Riley, being his overconfident self, was sure his girlfriend had good news for him. "What sort of thing about us?"  
  
Buffy could think of no easy way to say what she had to say, so she just said it. "Riley. . . I really don't think this relationship is the right thing for me right now." She said as gently as she could.  
  
After a moment Riley responded. ". . . What?" He said in a voice that made it obvious that he thought he had misunderstood.  
  
"I don't think we should see each other anymore."  
  
". . .What?"  
  
"I think we should break up." Buffy replied, barely keeping the annoyance out of her voice.  
  
"You mean you need space?"  
  
A little of the annoyance slipped in now. "No, I mean we're over."  
  
"For how long?"  
  
More annoyance. "Forever Riley. This is it. The End. No more."  
  
"Never?"  
  
"Never." Buffy confirmed. "I'm sorry Riley but. . . you just aren't what I want right now."  
  
Riley sat in shocked silence on the other end. This was definitely not what he had expected. His thought wandered for a while before his ex- girlfriend's voice brought him back to reality.  
  
"Riley?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I have to go now."  
  
"Oh. . . Ok."  
  
"Bye."  
  
"Um. . . Bye."  
  
Buffy hung up the phone, feeling a mixture of relief, pity for Riley, and fear of the step she had just taken. She had chosen Faith. Even if she had never been in love with Riley she had felt very close to him. It was obvious that he had strong feelings for her as well. But Buffy chose Faith.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Faith sat in the hall, a few feet from Buffy's door. While she had been sitting there her feelings of rejection had almost overwhelmed her. To get her emotions back under control she had sunk back into herself, throwing up her usual protective walls; Confidence was the first wall, soon followed by a lack of care for others. She put up her walls one by one, carefully building an emotional barrier for herself. As she did this she stood up, her posture showing the world that there was nothing they could do that could bring her down now.  
  
That was how Buffy found her when she same out into the hall. It surprized her a little. She couldn't quite tell why, but the Faith that stood before her now seemed much more like the Faith she had known in high school than the one she had been spending time with for the past few days. Buffy hadn't realized it until this point but there was a distinct difference between the two. Something about the Faith she had been getting closer to was slightly altered. . . she was more. . . less. . . something. Buffy was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of Faith's voice.  
  
"So, what did Beefcake have to say?" She asked as though the answer didn't concern her at all.  
  
"Um. . . nothing important." Buffy lied; wondering what is was about Faith that seemed so different. Pulling herself out of her thoughts before they could get anywhere she gestured to the door to her room. "We should probably get back to sleep, it's still five hours till sunrise."  
  
"Five hours is good. It means the night is still young! We could go out dancing, have a few drinks, maybe-" Faith had been about to say 'pickup a couple studs' but even with her emotional barriers at full strength she could not bring herself to suggest it. "dust a few vamps." She finished.  
  
Something was wrong, Buffy was sure of it now. "I don't think so Faith I'm still pretty tired." Why would Faith have been any different the past few days than she had been in high school? What was the difference? The answer came to Buffy all at once. She had been more open. Which meant that something had made Faith close up again. She had made Faith close up again. What was it she had done. . ?  
  
"Ok then, B. I guess I'll be going all by myself then." Faith noted casually. "Have fun with your sleep."  
  
Of course! Buffy had noticed before that Faith had seemed slightly rejected when Buffy had asked her to leave the room. Faith had been more open and in effect more vulnerable. That little bit of rejection must have stung. Well, if that was the problem then Buffy would just have to show her that she was wanted here. "No. . . don't go."  
  
"Why not, B? The night is calling me."  
  
"I want you to stay."  
  
"And why's that?"  
  
"I don't want to sleep without you."  
  
That made a few walls begin to weaken.  
  
When Faith didn't respond Buffy felt a need to explain. "It must be a teddy bear complex or something, I just. . . want you with me. . . Ok?"  
  
Walls started crumbling from an earthquake-like shock (a good one mind you). Buffy wanted to be in the same bed as her. Buffy wanted to be in bed with her. Buffy wanted Faith in her bed. There was just no bad way to look at this. After a moment Faith managed a small "Ok."  
  
Buffy smiled. She could tell that Faith was starting to open up again. That was good, Buffy had been afraid she had lost a part of the other slayer before she even knew she had it. She reached out and pulled Faith's hand into her own. After giving it a small squeeze of reassurance she turned and led Faith back to the bed. She then reluctantly released the captive hand and moved around to one side of the bed before slipping under the covers. Faith moved to the other side and copied Buffy's movements, laying so that her back was to Buffy. She felt kind of weird lying in bed with the girl she loved; knowing that said girl wanted Faith to be there. The comment had caught Faith off guard. She knew that Buffy hadn't intended the comment to sound quite so sexual, but it did none the less. Of course what surprised Faith much more was what Buffy did next.  
  
The older slayer moved up behind Faith, sliding her arms around the brunet's waist and pulling the girl tight against her body. She rested her head so close to Faith's that her nose touched the back of Faith's head, and Faith could feel Buffy's breath on her neck. On impulse Buffy gave the girl in her arms a squeeze and whispered "Thanks for staying." in a slightly husky voice.  
  
Wow.  
  
Faith struggled to control her breathing. Her heart was thumping so loudly that there was no doubt in her mind that Buffy would hear it, what she wondered was if she would wake everyone else in the house. Every inch of her body was telling her to turn around kiss the other girl. The steady throb between her legs spoke the loudest. It took every ounce of willpower she had to control her sexual urges, telling herself over and over that acting on said urges would probably mean that she would make Buffy pull away in disgust. Faith couldn't handle that. Before simply knowing that Buffy didn't want her in the room while she talked to her boyfriend had hit Faith hard. Now her walls were down again and she knew she wouldn't be able to handle that sort of rejection. Faith ordered her body to be happy with Buffy's embrace. It was one of the more pleasant experiences Faith had ever had, even if it did leave her wanting more. This is all you get! She told her body, be thankful and don't blow this! But Faith's pleas fell on deaf ears. Sexual hormones continued to attempt to overpower Faith's common sense. God, she hoped Buffy wouldn't notice!  
  
Buffy could indeed hear and feel the other slayer's heartbeat. She smiled a little. She hoped it meant what she thought it did. But even if it did, this was not the time to act on her feelings. Now was the time to sleep. "Night Faith." Buffy whispered, snuggling close to the girl. Unwittingly she synchronized her breathing to Faith's fast and steady heartbeat; inhaling or exhaling every three beats.  
  
It would be an hour before Buffy got to sleep. Another hour before Faith did. But neither girl said anything the entire time. They just enjoyed the presence of the other, trying not to make the moment more than it really was.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Buffy, having slept better and longer than her dark hared counterpart, was the first to wake the next morning. She wasn't at all surprized to find that they had shifted in the night without waking either of them.  
  
She now lay with her head on Faith's shoulder and her arms around Faith's waist. She could feel one of Faith's arms wrapped around her back, while the other hand rested on Buffy's own arm.  
  
Buffy smiled and looked up at Faith's sleeping face. She looked. . . well, sexy as usual of course but also. . . vulnerable. The girl before her was not longer the self-reliant slayer that Buffy had once known. She was open, for better or for worse, to what the world had to give her. And, though it was well hidden, Buffy could tell that she was scared. She had lived her life in a veritable fortress for who knows how long, isolating herself from those who would hurt her as well as those who would help her. Now she had traded that safety in for life and, though Buffy hadn't realized it yet, love.  
  
The thought of Faith being hurt by this knew and less armored life greatly saddened Buffy. She knew that the pain would make Faith sink back into her self-made solitary confinement. Buffy hated the thought. Looking up at the girl she made a decision. She would protect her. Not just in the sense of making sure she didn't get herself killed, but also emotionally. She would watch what she said, make sure she didn't say anything that might make Faith feel like she was being pushed away. She would also have to talk to the other scoobys, make sure they kept their little grudges about Faith to themselves. Dawn and her mother would need a talk too. No one was going to hurt this girl. Not on Buffy's watch. She would keep her Faith safe from the world, allow her to grow into whatever she wanted to become. What ever she was going to be, Buffy knew she would love it.  
  
Scanning the younger girl's sleeping face she felt a surge of warmth and love, knowing that she was going to keep her safe from harm. Overcome by her love for the brunet Buffy leaned forward, intent on sealing her vow to protect the girl with a kiss, but when her lips were only a fraction of an inch away from their destination Buffy stopped. She still couldn't be sure Faith felt them same, she reasoned. Sure, her reaction to being pulled into Buffy's arms the night before had suggested some sort of attraction, but Buffy couldn't be sure. There was also the near kiss she had almost given Buffy after they had escaped Adam, but post-slay lust had to be taken into account there. Besides, even if Faith did return her feelings, it wouldn't be fair to her for their first kiss to take place while she wasn't even awake. Buffy sighed softly and reluctantly pulled away from Faith's lips before she was further tempted. Still feeling the need to somehow finalize her vow she brought her face down again, this time placing her lips on the other girl's forehead.  
  
Then she moved her head back to it's resting place on Faith's shoulder, snuggling into the girl as she did so. She must have stayed that way for a good 45 minutes, simply enjoying the closeness and reveling in thoughts of her new mission of protection, before Faith began to stir.  
  
As she woke up Faith was a little surprized to find another body so close to her own, anyone who was ever so close to her at night was gone by the time she went to sleep. She never knew that waking up with someone could be so pleasant. Faith looked down at the smaller girl, realizing that who she was waking up with was a big part of why it was so enjoyable.  
  
Buffy, having noticed Faith's slight movements as she awoke, turned her head up in order to look at her crush's face. Of course, she had expected that face to be more than an inch away. Both girls gasped sharply before becoming breathless all together. Once again Buffy found herself trying to convince herself not to kiss Faith.  
  
Faith was doing the same. Reminding herself that she had no right to kiss Buffy. She decided to remove the temptation. Laying her head back on a pillow and looking at the ceiling she tried to think of something to say. Luckily, the situation it self provided her with something. "Morning." She said, trying to sound calm.  
  
Buffy smiled. "Morning, Faith." She was relieved that Faith had moved away. (Though also rather disappointed) She didn't want to do anything stupid and yet if she had pulled away Faith might have seen it as rejection.  
  
They sat in silence for a while, neither able to think of anything to say. Finally Buffy spoke. "Wanna go get some breakfast?"  
  
Faith leapt on the excuse to get out of bed, not that she didn't enjoy it, it's just that she wasn't sure that she could keep her hormones in check much longer. "That sounds great." She said slowly sliding out of Buffy's arms. Buffy let her go, but reluctantly.  
  
"Ok then." She said, trying not to sound disappointed at the lack of contact.  
  
After a moment of thought Faith changed her mind. "I think I'm going to take a shower first. I'll see you down there Ok?" She had gotten very aroused the night before and had the wetness between her legs to prove it. Luckily her clothing seemed to have kept the smell from escaping for the time being, but that was VERY lucky. She needed to get clean very soon.  
  
"Ok." Buffy responded, smiling at the girl.  
  
Faith returned the smile and quickly gathered up all the things she would need for the shower and slipped out of the room.  
  
Buffy watched her go before getting out of bed herself and getting dressed.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Downstairs Buffy found Joyce Summers drinking a cup of coffee and reading the paper.  
  
"Hey Mom." Buffy realized that this would be the first opportunity she would have to talk to anyone about going easy on Faith. So instead of making her usual trip to the fridge she sat down next to her mother. Before she had to think of how to start the conversation Joyce noticed the difference in behavior.  
  
"Hi Honey." she said turning to her daughter and putting down the paper. Noticing the serious look on Buffy's face she asked "Is something wrong?"  
  
"Not really I just, kinda wanted to have a talk."  
  
"You know it's not often that a child tells their parent that they need to have a talk; this must be important."  
  
Buffy blushed a little, she hoped her mother wouldn't notice. "It's about Faith."  
  
"Did. . . she do something?"  
  
"No, no, she's been fine it's just. . ." Buff tried to think of the right words to describe her fellow slayer's state to her mother. "I think she's kind of changed since before. She's more. . . more vulnerable now." When Joyce didn't respond Buffy continued. "I think that she can really fight for the good guys again, but. . . it's gonna be hard." Buffy tried to explain.  
  
"You're defending Faith?" Joyce asked in surprise.  
  
"Yeah," Buffy said defensively, "what's wrong with that?"  
  
"Well, nothing." Joyce said thoughtfully "It's just that last year any conversation we had about Faith you were usually not so happy with her and I was the one defending her." She explained "What made you change your mind about her?"  
  
Buffy blushed again. "I don't know," she lied. "I just. . . I know that she wants to change and I want her to be able to."  
  
Joyce smiled. "I think I understand." She said gently "I'll be nice, I promise." Her smile broadened a little. Joyce had always wanted Buffy to get closer to Faith. At first it had been because she like the idea of Buffy having help with all her slaying, and then because Faith seemed to be so in need of a friend. She was glad her daughter finally saw Faith as Joyce always had, as a person.  
  
"Cool." Buffy said, glad her mother didn't push the topic any further. She still had to talk to everyone else though. . . "Hey, Mom?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Could you ask Dawn to be nice to Faith too? I still have to talk to everyone else and I'm not going to see Dawn before her and Faith go out on their little outing after school."  
  
"Sure, Honey."  
  
"Thanks Mom, you're the best."  
  
"Best what?"  
  
Buffy jumped in surprise at the sound of her crush's voice. She spun around to see the other slayer standing casually in the doorway, her hair still wet from the shower.  
  
"Hi Faith." She managed to say after a moment or two. Then, realizing that Faith had asked a question, she added "Uh. nothing. Best nothing."  
  
Faith could hear the awkwardness in Buffy's voice. She tried to ignore it. "Best nothing huh? Is that a hard title to earn Joyce?"  
  
Joyce smiled. "Oh no not really, I'm still not sure what I did to deserve it."  
  
"Heaven only knows, Mom." Buffy replied, trying to be normal.  
  
"So, B, when are we gonna see if we can do the super-super power thing again?" Faith said, still very aware of Buffy's uneasiness.  
  
"Um, I don't know." Buffy said honestly. "I'll call Will, see what time she wants to do it." With that Buffy walked out of the kitchen and up to her room, deciding that would be the best place to make the call.  
  
Faith watched her go. She was sure of it now; Buffy and Joyce had been talking about her.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
It was decided that the test would be held in the evening; it seemed the clearest in everyone's schedules, but it was still before they had to worry about vamps. Not long after finishing her call with Will Buffy had to go to class. About half an hour later Joyce left for the gallery. That left Faith alone for a while. About four hours. On the bright side this meant that Buffy trusted her to be alone in her house. On the down side, it gave Faith lots of Time to think many angsty thoughts about all sorts of things, but mainly what Buffy and Joyce had said about her. She went through the same list of things many times, but each time each of the possibilities got a little worse.  
  
Then, finally, it was time for Dawn to be out of school. That would give Faith's mind something to do other than worry. Faith rushed out the door before realizing that she had no idea where Dawn's school was. With a sigh she went back into the house and flopped down on the couch, wishing she didn't have to wait for Dawn to get home. It was funny how she could have spent so many of the recent years of her life in solitude, and yet now the same solitude was driving her crazy.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Faith head snapped up as the front door opened. Finally! She thought, practically running to greet the youngest Summers. "Hey kid! What's up?" she asked energetically.  
  
Dawn blinked several times before answering. "Did you have excessive amounts of caffeine or something?"  
  
Faith realized that her greeting had come across almost as hyper, which was definitely NOT the way she normally acted. Turning the energy down a few levels she responded "No, but we will. I'm thinking first stop Espresso Pump. Sound good?"  
  
"Huh? Oh right, the thing with the going out and stuff. I was all exited but. . . school zaps brains. My last class made me forget a little." Dawn replied, a bit surprized by Faith's enthusiasm. Her mom must have been right, Faith really was different.  
  
"So, coffee?"  
  
"Uh, yeah sure. Just let me dump my backpack in my room and we're off!"  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Fifteen minutes later the two girls sat at a small table at the local coffee place. Faith found herself retelling many of the stories she had told when she first met the scooby gang. But she was also telling more recent stories. Stories about even the simplest of patrols with Buffy. Faith enjoyed the memories, but Dawn was the one who had wanted to hear them. To the slayer's surprise Dawn seemed to have no idea what a usual night in Buffyville was like.  
  
"So, three vamps?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Yep."  
  
"By herself?"  
  
"Well. I was there and all, but I was kinda busy. Plus, they were all young. I think the whole lot of them had only been turned maybe a week before."  
  
"Wow. I always kinda pictured fights as being one on one. I never knew Buffy could take three!"  
  
Faith smiled. An image of Buffy fighting appeared in her mind. Punch, punch, duck, kick, stake. She was just so. . . Faith pulled herself out of the little Buffy-fest going on in her mind, reminding herself that she was not alone. Looking across the table at her crush's little sister, she searched for something not Buffy to say. Took a second, but she found it. "You sure you don't want something a little stronger than hot chocolate?" she asked, taking a sip of her mocha.  
  
"I'm sure. I've got a super early test tomorrow and I do not need to be up all night."  
  
"Ok," Faith shrugged, "Your loss."  
  
"So, where were we?"  
  
"Um. . . " Faith trailed off, feeling like picking the conversation up somewhere other than where they were. She was beginning to think that if they kept on talking about Buffy she would end up saying something that would make her feelings all too obvious.  
  
"Hey, is that Willow?" She asked, looking over Faith's shoulder.  
  
Faith, happy for the distraction, turned to look. "Yeah, that's Will."  
  
"Who's that with her?" Dawn asked noticing the blond walking next to the redheaded hacker.  
  
"Don' know." Faith said, taking a look at the other girl. She seemed pretty happy, but timid at the same time. She kept on looking at Willow and smiling, then eventually looking away. Faith could tell right away that the two girls were something special to each other.  
  
"Willow!" Dawn yelled, waving to the young witch.  
  
Willow looked up in surprise, then looked quickly back at the blond. For just a second Faith thought Willow might make some kind of attempt to hide the other girl, but then she smiled took hold of the blonde's hand and leading her over to Faith and Dawn's table.  
  
"Hi Dawnie! Um, hi Faith." Willow said, the second name coming off a bit less happily than the first.  
  
"Hey Willow, who's your friend?" Dawn asked.  
  
Willow cast a quick glance back at the other girl (who was kind of staring at the floor and hiding behind Willow at the same time) before introducing her. "This is Tara. I met her in my wiccan group. She and I have been casting together. She did the slayer locating spell with me." She said, obviously wanting the other girl to be accepted and liked.  
  
Dawn hopped out of her seat to welcome the girl. "Hi Tara, I'm Dawn." She said offering her hand in greeting.  
  
Tara accepted the hand a little cautiously. "Hi."  
  
"Oh, and this is Faith." Dawn said gesturing to the brunette slayer.  
  
Faith waved to the blonde. Tara shyly returned the wave before looking back at the ground.  
  
Willow seemed a little bit lost as to what to say next. "Well, uh. . . We were just going to pick up some supplies at the Magic Box so um. . . I guess we'll just. . . go."  
  
"Ok, see you later then." Dawn replied.  
  
Willow smiled and turned back to Tara. Another smile and the two wiccans left the unexpected meeting to return to their plans.  
  
Faith watched them go. As Dawn slipped back up into her seat Faith asked "What happened to Oz?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Oz. Where'd he go?"  
  
". . . What brought this up?"  
  
"Well, Willow doesn't really seem like the type to start driving a new model when the old one was still around." Faith explained.  
  
"Again with the huh."  
  
"I just mean that if she's with someone else than Oz must be out of the picture."  
  
"With? Who would she be with?"  
  
Faith shook her head. Dawn was more sheltered than she thought. "That blonde girl, Tara. Didn't you notice?"  
  
"No. . . You're saying Willow and that girl are. . . girlfriends?" Dawn asked in confusion.  
  
"Yeah, no doubt." Faith said, taking another sip of mocha.  
  
"How can you tell?"  
  
Faith thought about it for a second. "Well, it's just body language really. You just have to know what to look for."  
  
Dawn thought about that for a little while. Just when Faith was about to break the silence Dawn finally spoke. "Can you teach me?"  
  
Faith paused for a moment. "Teach you what?"  
  
"How to understand that kind of body language." Dawn clarified. "What kind of stuff to look for."  
  
Faith hesitated again, but then smiled. "Sure kid, I'll teach you. Class is in session starting right now."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Buffy let out a sigh of relief as the professor finally dismissed the class. Two hours and fifteen minutes of history. There should be a law against that. Plus she was pretty sure the professor hated her. It wasn't her fault that there were some demons that had affected the course of history and it certainly wasn't her fault that she knew how to recognize the signs.  
  
As Buffy allowed her mind to move past the internal rant it quickly latched on to another topic: Faith. Yay! She couldn't wait to be back with her again. With that thought she quickened her pace, wanting to get home as quickly as possible.  
  
Just as she was getting off campus she felt a hand grab her shoulder. Instinctively she spun around and kicked, catching whatever had grabbed her in the side.  
  
With a small grunt of pain it fell to the ground. "God Buffy. . ." it managed after a moment "What. . . was that. . . for?"  
  
"Riley?" She asked, surprised to see her ex. Then, realizing that she had hit him, and hard, when he was already injured she started to feel all guilty and worried. "Oh, geeze, are you ok? I mean, you know, not in need of hospitalization?" She asked frantically, dropping onto her knees to take a better look at him.  
  
Wincing he pulled his hands away from the side, reveling blood beginning to seep into his clothing in large amounts.  
  
'Oh shit, I've killed him!' Buffy thought to herself before gently peeling back the shirt to examine the damage. It didn't look like he had taken too much damage from the kick itself, but the impact had reopened his old stab wound. He needed to get this looked at and stitched up, soon.  
  
After deciding on a best course of action she reached down and pulled his arms over her shoulders like backpack straps. Standing up she turned and headed back towards campus.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Back at the Espresso Pump Faith was buying Dawn a third hot chocolate. This one was a celebratory treat. Dawn had mastered everything Faith had taught her with relative ease. Given it had only been a basic course, but Dawn picked up on it much faster than Faith would have expected.  
  
"You know what this means?" The younger girl asked before taking a sip of the hot liquid.  
  
"That you soak up information like a sponge?" Faith suggested.  
  
"No, it means that guy at school who's been bothering me? He might actually like me."  
  
"Is he cute?"  
  
"No!" Dawn replied, but then thought about it. "Well, sort of. I guess I just never thought about him that way."  
  
"Well, feel free to think about him anyway you want. And have fun with it. If he really likes you then you should give him a shot. If he does anything at all out of line I'll just hit him really really hard."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"What?" Faith asked in confusion.  
  
"Would you really hit him?"  
  
"Yeah, of course kid. Why wouldn't I?"  
  
"Well Buffy's always saying that she can't hurt someone just because their mean."  
  
Faith nodded in understanding. "Sounds like something she would say. But here's the thing: she won't hurt anything that isn't demonic."  
  
Dawn considered this for a moment. "What about you? You aren't a demon and she hurt you."  
  
Faith's smile quickly turned into a look of sadness. "I deserved that. Betraying everyone like I did. . . she had every right to kill me. She nearly did too."  
  
Dawn's voice was very apologetic now. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have. . ."  
  
"It's Ok." Faith assured her. "I'm lucky to have this kind of a second chance. I still don't know why she's giving it to me."  
  
"She probably thinks you deserve it."  
  
Faith shook her head. "What could she possibly have seen in me? I was evil."  
  
"I don't know what it is she saw, but I think she was right."  
  
"How's that?"  
  
"Well, you haven't hurt anyone." Reconsidering she added, "At least not since you held me and Mom hostage."  
  
"It hasn't been very long. How can she know I won't kill you all in your sleep?"  
  
"Would you do that?"  
  
"Well. . . no but. . . she doesn't know that."  
  
"Maybe she doesn't know it. . . but I think she believes it." Dawn paused for a moment to think about it. "I think she believes in you."  
  
Faith started to contradict Dawn but then stopped. Why else would Buffy give her this opportunity? She must really believe that Faith could be good. Something about that gave Faith a kind of inner power. If Buffy thought she could do this then maybe she really could.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Forest heard a knock at the door of Lowle house and got up to answer it. Before he could ask what was going on Buffy pushed past him, not waiting for an invitation.  
  
"He needs medical attention, like now." She said quickly.  
  
Forest blinked, but then shut the door and followed Buffy. "What happened?"  
  
Buffy didn't answer for a moment. "He snuck up on me."  
  
"You did this?" He said with an accusing tone, still following the small slayer.  
  
"Not on purpose! He surprised me; I just. . . reacted. I didn't know where else to bring him." She said, reaching the mirror behind which she knew the elevator leading to the initiative was located. She turned to face Forest. "Don't make me regret this."  
  
For a moment they glared at each other before Forest answered. "We won't hurt him. Make sure you can say the same."  
  
"Or what? You'll put a chip in my head?"  
  
Another staring contest. This time Buffy broke the silence. "Look, just take him. We don't have time to argue right now."  
  
"Fine." Forest said, taking one of Riley's arms and putting it over his shoulders while supporting his friend's weight by wrapping his own arm around his waist.  
  
Buffy shot Forest one last glare before walking quickly away. She couldn't wait to get out of this stupid fraternity.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Honey, I'm home!" Faith called as she and Dawn stepped through the door of the Summers home.  
  
Buffy smiled at the sound of Faith's voice and went to greet them. "Hey you two, where have you been?"  
  
"We got coffee." Dawn offered.  
  
"Coffee?" Buffy asked, wondering why her usually caffeine free sister wasn't bouncing off the walls from the potent dose.  
  
"Yeah. Well, I got a mocha; little sis here got hot chocolate." Faith clarified.  
  
Buffy nodded and turned to her sister. "Dawn, is your homework done yet?"  
  
Dawn's smiled evaporated. "No." she said with and exaggerated sigh and trudged up the stairs to her room.  
  
Buffy smiled a little and turned to Faith. After a moment of getting caught up in Faith's beauty she remembered what it was she had meant to say. "Only an hour or so until sunset, we should go meet Wills and everyone."  
  
"'K. Lets get out a here."  
  
The two of them slipped out the door and began to walk down the street. Buffy glanced over at Faith and smiled, allowing all the memories of today to come back to her. The fact that stood out to her, above all others, was that she was now boyfriendless. She could now pursue anyone she wanted to without breaking any rules. With another glance at Faith she slid her hand into the brunette's, intertwining their fingers.  
  
Faith almost yanked the hand away she was so unused to the affectionate gesture. The she realized it was Buffy who was holding he hand and relaxed. . . sort of. She didn't want to pull away, but Buffy's actions were really confusing her right now. What did the girl mean to say by holding her hand like this. Walking, hand-in-hand like this. . . it was very intimate. More intimate than friendship. But then, friendship was something she still wasn't sure Buffy was willing to give her. But this clarified it, right? She must want to be closer than they were. And Faith supposed a step up from where they were, where ever that was, was probably friendship. Faith looked over at her. . . friend. . . and smiled. She was going to enjoy this.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Wow. Look at that. . . that is a long chapter. Sorry I took so long updating folks, I'll try to get the next chapter up before I have to go back to school.  
  
(reviews make me write faster!) 


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